More than 110,000 UK citizens sign petition asking government to create UK version of EU’s Single Use Plastics Directive and effectively ban single use plastics; UK was included in the EU directive prior to Brexit
UK publishes report on bio-based FCMs
Report reviews published scientific and grey literature for existing materials marketed for food contact; expects current risk assessment methods to be appropriate or adaptable, notes limited existing research on materials made from agri-food by-products and their potential risks
Target requests more chemical data from suppliers
U.S. retailer Target asks suppliers to provide more information on chemicals to fulfil its goals on ingredient transparency and product reformulation
Non-target screening of silicone rubber extracts
Scientists perform non-target screening of compounds extracted from infant silicone teats; identify 140 compounds in 12 categories; more than a third of substances need safety evaluation
Partnership to improve UK recycling
The organizations WRAP and OPRL to work together to reduce consumer confusion related to recycling, improve quality and quantity of recyclate in UK
BPA masculinizes female brains
New results from FDA’s BPA low dose study show significant effects on female rat brains at lowest dose
Parabens increase BPA exposure
Parabens inhibit several biotransformation enzymes involved in steroid hormone metabolism and chemical detoxification; study in mice shows that co-exposure with butyl paraben results in elevated internal levels of estradiol and BPA
LCA study investigates impacts of beverage packaging types
Scientists from University of Southampton publish life cycle assessment (LCA) estimating primarily environmental impacts of five types of packaging across three beverage categories; find lowest impacts caused by recycled aluminum cans for pressurized drinks, Tetra Pak for fruit juices, cartons for milk
Stakeholders discuss waste management challenges of plastics
Publications from government, academia, civil society organizations, and consultancies paint problematic picture of a circular plastics economy; plastic packaging waste per person found to increase over last decade; low percentage of plastic produced is effectively recycled; pyrolysis (a type of chemical recycling) of plastics produces 9x more emissions than mechanical recycling; “biodegradable” and “compostable” plastics found to not break down in home compost systems
OECD forum on cost-effective management systems for chemicals
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) event on November 3-4, 2020 to focus on exchanging experiences and knowledge on systems to manage industrial and consumer chemicals; registration open